Bag of marshmallows gone in no time as Del Grosso sets sights on another world title: "I need to stay focused for next week"

Tibor del Grosso heads into this weekend’s U23 Cyclo-cross World Championships as the clear favorite. The Dutch rider is the defending champion and once again has the best shot at taking home the rainbow jersey. The same can be said for his Alpecin-Deceuninck teammate, Mathieu van der Poel, who sees a lot of similarities between himself and Del Grosso.

Del Grosso continued his dominant season with yet another victory in Hoogerheide, winning the final round of the World Cup in commanding fashion by riding solo at the front for most of the race. It was also his last race wearing the U23 rainbow jersey, as he will move up to the elite category next winter. "Win or lose, this was my last time racing in the rainbow jersey, because after the Worlds, I won’t be racing anymore this season," Del Grosso told IDLProCycling.com and other media. "So I really took the time to enjoy it."

The biggest race of the season for the multi-talented rider is set for Saturday, February 1, when the U23 riders battle for the world title in Liévin, France. After a dominant year, expectations are high that Del Grosso will once again claim the top step of the podium. "Yeah, but they expected that last year too, so it doesn’t really faze me," he said.

At just 21 years old, Del Grosso has already won a world title, along with national championships both on the road and in cyclo-cross earlier this winter and last summer. Is he the type of rider who thrives under pressure? "Not really, but there’s something about it. I never really crumble under pressure, so I do like the fact that there’s more at stake and that there’s extra pressure."

Del Grosso is confident, but isn't counting on the win just yet

Del Grosso is heading to the World Championships not only a year older and stronger, but he is also more experienced after racing several elite events this season. However, he doesn’t feel much different heading into the race compared to last year. "Well, yeah... not really, you know, because the others have all gotten stronger too. Cyclo-cross never gets easier, at least not for me. It’s still going to be 50 minutes of suffering, just like last year."

With seven wins in eleven races under his belt — including some elite events — his confidence should be sky-high. Yet, true to form, Del Grosso remains grounded. "I have the right amount of confidence to believe I can do it again. But next week, it’s another fair race, and I think the best rider will win."

This will be Del Grosso’s last U23 race, marking his farewell to the category. He admits he’ll miss it next winter. "Yeah, definitely. Especially those World Cups with the national team, with Gerben (De Knegt, the Dutch national coach, ed.). I won’t be seeing him as often next year."

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Tibor del Grosso in Hoogerheide

Mathieu van der Poel praises Del Grosso: "I do see a lot of similarities with Tibor"

One rider Del Grosso will see more often next season, though, is Mathieu van der Poel. Not only will Del Grosso move up to the elite ranks in cyclo-cross, racing alongside Van der Poel, but he will also become his teammate on Alpecin-Deceuninck’s WorldTour squad. After his own race, Van der Poel was asked about his younger teammate, and he had nothing but praise.

"I think he’s a lot like me in that he's someone who doesn't care much about pressure," Van der Poel said. "I do see a lot of similarities with Tibor, actually. If he keeps progressing like this, I can definitely see him becoming a consistent contender at the elite level in the future."

Del Grosso gave Van der Poel a tip for Hoogerheide: "He crashed there, by the way"

Does Van der Poel, as the team’s star, give Del Grosso advice? Actually, it’s the other way around. "No, not really. He’s not someone who likes getting a lot of tips. In fact, before the race, he was actually the one giving me advice today — telling me to hop the bars, for example."

And did Van der Poel follow through on that tip? "No, but he did. And he crashed there, by the way. Like I said, he’s got his own way of doing things, but I like that." Could Del Grosso be Van der Poel’s younger brother? "Then we’d probably clash a lot," Van der Poel joked. "But I get along really well with him. One of his strengths is how relaxed he is before races. He also has a unique style on the bike, kind of like he's never suffering, so that's nice."

Del Grosso is clearly focused on Worlds. Asked if he plans to eat the bag of marshmallows he received on the podium, he laughed: "I already gave them to Gerben’s son — he’ll enjoy them. I need to stay a bit serious heading into next week."

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